In this globalized world, where pretty much everything is precooked, where profit stands tall above the rest and this looks like the only possible way for us to live (or survive), in this world every once in a while we find someone who can teach us a lesson on intelligent and creative alternative ways. Who dares to be original. How? In this specific case, by building guitar amplifiers. You bet, as a matter of fact:
1. Simon Jarrett's Kingsley amplifiers (www.kingsleyamplifiers.com) are hand built in Maple Ridge, Canada. In their each and every part, one by one. They are built with the care that comes from doing things the right way. Not only do things, get 'em out of the door and sell them.
2. Kingsley amplifiers are produced in small numbers, as Kingsley Amps is a small, family operated business.
3. Kingsley amplifiers are affordable right now, even without being Arab sheiks or rockstars.
Notwithstanding the above 'nonsense', it seems like Kingsley Amps is in pretty good shape, without need to get industrialized or mess with bigger numbers. By the way, Kingsley amps are among the best built, most musical guitar amps available today. Even more, they have their own signature tone. ...Serious!
Not bad... But let's go take a look at the amp
DESIGN
The Deluxe 50 is a all-tube guitar amp (reviewed is the head version, also available in combos with your speakers choice), class AB with spring reverb. It has a solid state rectifier, preamp section with a 12AX7's, phase inverter is a 12AT7, while the reverb driver sports a 12AX7. The power amp section can be run with either a pair of 6L6 or EL34 (all you need is rebias). This particular amp came with Fenderish 6L6GC's. A quick look through the back panel reveals a full-size Accutronics reverb tank. Cool (as we will see, reverb on this amp is amazing). We also notice Solen filter caps in the power supply section. Kingsley and a very small number of other builders (like Carr) does this with guitar amps. They are developed for use in satellites, they use a polypropylene dielectric (not electrolytic, which is liquid and dries up over time) and have a lifetime of 150 years. So they should outlast the owner of the amp, and at least we should be able not to worry about having to change them after a while... I am personally convinced that the better is your power supply, the better the amp will sound. Actually, after your guitar signal hits the amp and is amplified by the first stage, from then on all you hear is the power supply... So, the Solen's must be largely responsible for the amp's note attack and spatial dimension. When current is needed, Solen's deliver. The neat point to point, hand-wired circuitry is hosted inside a chassis, which is bolted 'upside down' to the cabinet (like on a Fender amp). Covering looks pretty much like tolex, yet more refined and classy.
Looks a bit more delicate than tolex, though...time will tell. Copper face and back plates and elegant brown and 'cappuccino' grille cloth with embroidered Kingsley logo and gold piping contour (very Marshall-esque) add to the amp's very distinctive looks... A robust looking black leather handle is fixed to the amp with chrome hardware, while the remaining hardware is gold (...am I being too finicky here?). The head stands on 4 oversized rubber spacers meant for sure to isolate the amp from the vibrations coming from the cab underneath.
This amp is a one channel affair, even if there actually are 2 input jacks. Controls are Gain, Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass, Reverb and Tone. We also got a bright switch in a pretty much Fender blackface fashion. It's worth noting that the variable Gain control is kicked in the signal circuit only when we plug into input 1. This can be used to tailor the input level on specific guitars, so to get maximum clean headroom, or else we can use it to adjust the preamp overdrive level. Instead, the global Tone control acts on the power amp section and can truly work wonders, especially when the amp is overdriving at high volumes. To the right, we find the on and standby switches, as well as a very cool blue jewel light. If you're having an 'off' night, at least this will remind you that your amp is on. The back panel sports: pentode / triode switch (to cut power in half), two parallel-wired output jacks, impedence selector (4Ohm / 8 Ohm), non recording compensated line out with level control, footswitch jack and gain switch. According to designer Simon Jarrett: 'This latter is not labeled, as it was not part of the original design. This switch changes the value of a resistor in the pre-amp, which results in more gain and a tighter tone with less bass. It is a useful addition, in particular when using different cabinets, as with a bass heavy cabinet the amp can almost produce too much bass. Engaging this gain switch makes the eq controls have a more useable range with a bass heavy cabinet'.
The footswitchable boost (footswitch is supplied with the amp) increases gain in the pre-amp and results in a louder sound when the amp is set clean. When the amp is on the edge of overdrive or more, the boost will not add as much volume but will increase gain further. I dig the level control directly on the pedal, so you don't have to run back to your amp to make 'on the fly' adjustments during a gig. Needless to say, Simon Jarrett is a gigging musician himself, as to demonstrate that his amps were developed for personal use, in first place. I think this is something definetely worth noting.
To make this a spare-no-expenses review, we dug out a Dino's 2x10 custom cabinet with AlNiCo speakers and semi-open back, as well as a strat, a tele, a Harmony Rocket with De Armond pickups and a Gibson L5 CES. We also fed the amp through a voltage stabilizer, to make sure that all conditions were kept the same during testing. To be noted how this particular cab was chosen only because its color was matching the amp's front panel. After all, we're Italians...
Personally, the first thing I look for when checking out a new amp is a good, solid clean sound. If I like the clean sound, I will almost certainly like the distorted sound as well. Also, either I like the amp after 3 notes, or I will probably never like it at all...
I plug my strat into input 2 (the one with no gain control), tone controls roughly at noon with a bit more treble and a little less bass, bright switch on, pentode mode, gain switch on, a little reverb and volume at 30%. The strat has controls fully open, selector switch on neck pickup...stand back!
The Deluxe 50 welcomes me to Kingsley-tone-town with a velvety tone: solid, harmonically rich and extremely detailed, with a definite and round note attack, dynamically alive. Increasing volume a bit shifts the tone into the crunch zone...now it's time to throw the pick on the floor, as I get myriads of colors just by changing the way I touch the strings. Hey, I'm feeling like I'm Jeff Beck...That's great!
Tone is balanced across the frequency range, with deep yet clear bass, complex mids and very meaty, round trebles. Also when playing the strat or tele bridge pickup, the tone never crosses the ice-pick-in-your-ear danger zone. Highs just want to sound good: solid, big and wonderfully "oily". What strikes me most about this amp, though, is the note attack. You can feel each note coming from far, with a trasparent and flutey "ssstunf" that reminds me of Tony Bruno's spectacular amps. Maybe it's just by accident, but both Bruno's and Simon Jarrett's original designs (the Underground 30 and Deluxe 30, respectively) draw inspiration from the mighty Vox AC30.
Input 1 adds the Gain control to the tone recipe, resulting in overdriven sounds that range from crunchy to singing leads. Be aware, there's no trace of flat, mosquito buzziness here, neither of artificial, colorless sustain without dynamics... Here the overdrive amount and color can be modeled with the touch...think Robben Ford or Eric Johnson. Actually, these two guys have not been mentioned by case: with a minimum knob and switch tweaking I was able to replicate the tones heard on albums like 'Robben Ford & the Blue Line' or 'Ah, Via Musicom'...c'mon...let's just say it softly for now: maybe this Kingsley amp has inside the tone of the Dumble..?! Actually some time ago I was able to play through a Dumble and even if memory might play nasty tricks on me, I should say the sensations of playing through both amps are quite similar. Still, to tell the truth, the Kingsley keeps its signature tone throughout: clarity, smoothness, openness, harmonic richness, roundness and exceptional attack are embedded in this amp's DNA.
Still, I want to push this further: we have over here a '65 Fender Vibrolux Reverb amp that we regard as benchmark for clean tone. Truly a blessed amp (Joe Pass, Jim Hall and JL Hooker have played this amp!).... Bingo! With some focused adjustments we were able to get a clean tone absolutely on a par with the Fender's. Even without the Fender's vintage speakers, the Deluxe 50 fills the room with diamonds, butterflies and zebras and moonbeams...and fairy tales... Yet the Kingsley manages again to keep its own voice. This amp ain't no other amp's clone!
Oh, by the way: the reverb sounds terrific: it airs up each note without adding color and with none of the "boing" factor associated with lesser spring reverbs. More like what you would get sending a dry signal to a Lexicon rack
So it's just a matter of tone. The Kingsley Deluxe 50 has tons of it, it's an amp that just wants to sound good. With no gimmicks. Maybe many will miss a effects loop, a second (or even third) footswitchable channel, a balanced line out, over the top gain... Useful things for sure, for those who need to switch between 15 different sounds within 7 songs (cover bar bands...?)
Still, I'm convinced that this amp's strenght also lies within its simplicity...
Here all efforts have been spent on tone quality, on musicality. This amp was clearly conceived as the natural extension of the guitar, therefore like a guitar it should be "played". While testing the Deluxe 50 with my strat, through a Dino's solid pine cab I had like the impression of playing one unique big instrument (guitar+amp+cab), like I was playing a bionic acoustic guitar with boundless expressiveness and dynamics.
The Deluxe 50 is one of those amps that make you feel like you're playing beyond your usual abilities, it just has music inside. Maybe the "Kingsley" logo is there to remind you why you're actually feeling like a king...
MOREOVER: I strongly recommend that you go visit www.kingsleyamplifiers.com.
You won't find any sound samples on our pages here, for the moment, simply because there's plenty on Kingleys website...besides Simon is a lot better guitarist than me and a exquisite person to deal with...
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